A Valletta man was jailed for four years and fined e300 after he was found guilty of driving at a police sergeant who told him not to park in Palace Square on 15 November 2000.

Francis Cuschieri was also found guilty of assaulting a number of policemen, resisting arrest, disobeying their orders and setting a cell on fire.

He was arrested after Sergeant Raymond Vella had told him that he could not park in the square which was reserved for MPs. A number of policemen had to use force to restrain him and put him in a police car.

They had to use force to put him in a cell at the Valletta Police Station, from where he started shouting and asking for pills and cigarettes.

He was let out from the cell to be interrogated during which he alleged that he was beaten by the police, yet no marks were found on his body when examined.

Later he set his cell on fire and tried escaping from the police station, while trying to seriously injuring a policeman in the process.

Magistrate Doreen Clarke found him guilty also of using obscene language, reckless driving, threatening police officers, giving false statement and relapsing.